


I’m Just Glad I Met You

by eevee_meimei



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Almost Kiss, Alternate Universe, Angst, First Kiss, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kissing, Law Enforcement, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-02-12 03:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12950148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eevee_meimei/pseuds/eevee_meimei
Summary: Dan has a planned-out life ahead of him. But upon meeting a particular blue-eyed boy, things might take a change. Which will win? Love, or law?





	1. The Morning Before

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my very first fic!! Hope you enjoy:)

Dan woke up to silence.

It was as though time had stopped. Not a single sound reached his ears, other than the occasional whistle of the wind. Not even the bravest soul would dare make a sound on this hell of a day. The whole town was covered in a veil: a sheet of pure terror, of sadness, of fear.

He slowly opened his eyes, stretching as he grabbed at the air above him. He glanced at the clock, only 3:54. He quietly cursed himself, his mother would kill him if he faced today with bags under his eyes. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep, though. The silence surrounding him seemed louder than any traffic he had faced. 

He slowly made his way downstairs, making sure to not wake anyone in his family. If they did, they would be all over him, today being his “last”. He didn’t want that though, he wanted to spend his last morning in his own space, for it was the last time he would ever experience such a thing. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, making out the outline of a person lying face-down on the sofa. It was probably his father, his mother got the bed on the weekdays. 

He sat down on a chair, watching the sky as he saw the first streams of light appear, basking the room in a golden glow. This would be his last sunrise to see as a free soul, he thought. To tell the truth, everything he did today would be his last, from his breakfast to brushing his teeth, and taking a shower. He sighed as the reality truly sank in, in about 6 hours from now, he would be somebody’s. Somebody’s man, somebody’s partner, somebody’s life. And that somebody would also be his, whether he liked it or not. His eyes floated back to his father, the couch really too small for his 5’11 body. What did he feel when his day was approaching? Was he scared? Was he excited? Was he relieved? All Dan felt was resentment toward the single moment that was coming up. One moment to decide his fate. One moment to decide his life. If he was lucky, he might be able to live a happy life in peace. If he was unlucky… well, then, he would be unlucky.

He slowly stood up, not really sure what to do. He decided on taking a shower, maybe pretending like today was just another normal day would help him get his mind off things. 

 

***

 

When he stepped out of the shower, he was welcomed with the fresh smell of pancakes, his favorite breakfast. It wasn’t even 6:00 yet, his mother must have felt the need to prepare something special today, not that it would make any difference to what was coming. He made his way down, smiling as he saw his older and younger brother sleeping against each other on the floor, they must’ve been forced awake for the special occasion. 

“Oh, you done with the shower?”

His mother called from across the room.

“You can wear your brother’s suit. I think it’s in the closet. Oh, and, well… you don’t have to worry okay? Everything will be fine.”

She said it as though she was convincing herself, totally failing by the look on her face. Dan decided to just go with it, he told himself this was just another morning, well, maybe his wardrobe being an exception. 

About an hour later, he was standing at the door, staring at his whole family lined up before the door, and each hug lingering more than the last. It wasn’t like they would never meet again, in fact, they would be seeing each other later that day when Dan would get home. But… it could never be the same. Not after the ceremony. All the love in every hug, touch, word would be erased by a screen of fear, a fear that anyone could be watching behind your back. Even the government would let a family hug slip, but there was still a lingering guilt that followed your each and every move, an eye that would follow you anywhere. His mother, father, older brother sent him out with knowing looks, his younger brother with a curious one. He took a deep breath, and started out the door, not daring to look back at what he once had.


	2. The Reaping

His brother’s suit was way too small for Dan’s enormous body, and it was a chore getting to his destination, the main house. The main house was a tall, black building in the middle of their town, with vines running from the windows and a huge staircase and all. It was deserted all year round, all for but one day, which was unfortunately today. Dan couldn’t help but grimace as he approached the sinful building, everyone around it seemed so unhappy, if that word could explain the sight at all. They all knew what was coming, and almost all hated it as much as Dan did. 

__Today was the day that the government held the “partnership ceremony”, as if sugarcoating the name would make it any better. The world had begun over-populating since the 1900s, but people weren’t able to actually take notice until the late 2000s, it already being too late. The world was like was huge train during rush hour, people who needed to get off couldn’t, and the new people getting on not being welcomed at all. The world turned into a pool of hatred and sadness. It was then that the government decided to control every single marriage, birth, death that would happen. The rest was history. Every year on 9/1, all children who were, or were to soon become 18 were forced into a “partnership”. After that, they were randomly given a number of children they needed to “produce”. It made Dan sick. Partners were forced to be together for life, the “partnership”s that ended in divorce was “taken care of”, and by the looks of their government now, Dan could imagine what that meant.The day after the ceremony, every person who managed to live until the age of 85 were “rewarded”, in other words, killed to control the population of the planet._ _

__Dan slowly made his way up the cobbled steps, almost screaming when someone stepped straight onto his foot. He shot a glare in their direction, his temper getting worse and worse. This was going to be a very long day._ _

__

__He made his way in, taking in the largeness, the whiteness, the _emptiness _of the room. There were about 400 kids his age lined up in straight lines in the middle of the room, but other than that and a glass bowl in the front, the whole room was bare, not a single thing covering the walls that loomed over them.___ _

____It seemed as though all of his friends were all already there, and he found them lined up in the very back, all of them looking in his direction as he got near them. John and Car had dark looks in their eyes, and Carry and Jamie and Abbie already had tears streaking their cheeks. They just looked at each other, not really being able to start any kind of conversation in the air that was between them. Before he knew it, they were all holding hands, getting judging glances from the people around him, but hey, it wasn’t illegal _yet_. They just sat there, hand in hand, relishing the feeling of each other, and every moment they had together that was left. They were with him since Dan remembered, and to tell the truth, losing them was the most terrifying part of this experience. They sat there until the bells rang, at 9:00 sharp, their hands lingering a little longer than they probably should have. He reluctantly let go, and suddenly Dan was very cold, the warmth that had surrounded him now completely gone. He looked ahead, trying really hard not to let his feelings show, when a little man walked up with a microphone and started talking in a very high voice.___ _

______“So. Hello, Everyone! What a fabulous day today is!! I call you all here today to award you with your partner. Someone to be the light in your life, the reason to live. You will love, cherish the other with all your heart. May God’s blessing be with you.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______He blurted the words with way too much enthusiasm out as though he was reading lines, and then brought out a tablet from his pocket. The thought that the futures of all of the children that were in the room were in the little machine truly terrified Dan._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Okay, so you know how it works. Soooo, I’ll read your names out, you’ll stand up, the ‘husband’ will come up here, pick a piece of paper from this bowl,” he gave the bowl a little shake, “and that will be the number of your, well, children. And NO SWATCHING, okay? The numbers range from 0-5, hmm, now may God’s blessing be wi-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______The last of his sentence was cut off by him particularly running off the stage, clearly relieved that his work was done. He handed the tablet to a sturdy, rather good-looking man that was in his late 30s. The way he was a little flustered was actually kind of cute._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Um, hi… I’m uh, the caretaker… I’m, uh, from the uh, government, and, uh, yeah, so here’s what’s, uh, going to ha-_ _ _ _ _ _

______Dan sighed, looking down at a spot between his feet. With the pace that this guy was taking, it would take ages for this whole thing to be over. Dan let his eyes wander the room, it was truly amazing how big the place was, it made the whole thing seem even more real. The way the ceiling curved and was built so light would stream in through the roof made the whole room look magical, it was as though he was in a dream. A shame, he thought, to use it for such a day. His mind was floating all around, and he finally realized that they had started calling names when Carrie suddenly froze beside him, her face frozen, mouth half-open. She slowly looked over at Dan, the fear apparent on her face. He gave her hand a little squeeze behind their backs, and a shaky smile that probably looked totally fake, but it was enough for she made her legs work and stood up. The guy that she was paired with was fairly nice-looking, at least it wasn’t some freak. He liked him even better when he almost tripped on the way up, he was glad at least one of his friends might be happy. Carrie still looked terrified, though, her gaze frozen on the bowl straight ahead of them. Oh, of course. The… children. Everybody wanted a 0, they were only 18, and didn’t even know the other parent until a minute ago, anyway. Her breathing almost stopped when his arm entered the bowl, her face getting bluer as his hand made it’s way out. Dan could also see the boy’s lip quivering, fumbling with the piece of paper in his hands. He could literally see the sigh on both of their faces as the caretaker read out “ZERO”, Carries shoulders slouching as she sat back down with a thud._ _ _ _ _ _

______Nothing else happened for the next 30 minutes and Dan was starting to believe that they might have forgotten him and the rest of his friends. He had started sweating, and it wasn’t at all pleasant. He shifted in place, turning his body as he worked out the cramps in his body. That was when he saw him. A boy, dressed in all white, sitting about a dozen rows to the left of him. He was the definition of beautiful, his black hair, his pale skin, his blue eyes, his lips, … but what truly captivated him was the boy’s expression. He was smiling… and not just smiling, he was glowing. He was looking down at a trinket around his neck, and he looked, like, _happy_. His smile reached from ear to ear, eyes and nose crinkling up and his tongue was sticking out a little. Dan knew he had never looked at something so pretty. It was weird though, he had never seen the boy around. He knew almost everyone in the town, the fact that he had never even seen his face before was shocking. He was also dressed weird. What he was wearing was clean, but it looked seemingly like rags, simply just something to cover him up. _____ _

__________Dan was forced to look up ahead as another one of his friends was called, and then another as the hours went on. All the time, Dan couldn't get the blue-eyed boy out of his mind. He was tattooed into his brain, etched into his eyesight even when he looked away. He was captivated, intrigued. His mind had stopped moving, but his heart was on over-drive. He almost didn’t remember what he was here for until he heard his own name ringing through the hall._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Dan Howell… Daisy Light”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading:)
> 
> Thank you so much to the people who left kudos on the last chapter!
> 
> Comments will make my day<3


	3. A Number to Change It All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for stopping by and have a nice day:)  
> Sorry for such a short chapter...

He stood up and let his eyes scrape the room, looking for the person he was going to spend the rest of his life with. Everybody’s eyes were on him, and soon brown eyes were locked with blue for a magical electrifying moment as he locked eyes with the black-haired boy, his breath catching in his throat. He almost fainted though, when the boy flashed a shy smile at him, slowly looking down at his feet. His knees folded beneath him as he fell to the floor, his breath coming out in uneven huffs. There was something in his chest, his stomach, he could feel it. He had never had such a feeling, it was so painful, but made him feel, so… alive.

He was snapped back when he realized that everybody was now intently staring at him, quickly standing up as his cheeks flamed a bright crimson. He finally got to see his partner properly now, she was petite with brown hair down to her shoulders. He forced his leg up, taking a step toward the piece of paper that was waiting for him. His mind was screaming zero, zero, zero, zero… he really did not want kids, wasn’t ready for it. He let his hand enter the bowl, there were only two pieces left. 1, or 2? Left or right? Forward or backward? He picked the one that first hit his hand, not daring to look at it as he handed it to the caretaker. The seconds that the caretaker took to look at the piece of paper and actually start speaking seemed like ages to Dan. He could hear his breath stop, his heartbeat 1… 2… 3… 4… 5. 1… 2… 3…4… 5. 1… 2… 3… 4… 

“five.”

He felt the world stop for a moment. Had he said five? He must have meant anything else… right? This wasn't right. It just wasn’t. Couldn’t be. Shouldn’t be. Mustn’t be. He felt his face fall, his world crumble around him. He was not going to able to go through this. Daisy looked nice, but no. No, no, NO! he couldn’t, wouldn’t. He couldn’t feel a single thing as his legs moved on their own as they sat him back down, not daring to look behind him. He was scared, fuck, he was terrified. His whole world had broken around him within a few seconds. The once-beautiful room was now flashing before him, crashing down on him, pinning him down to the floor. He barely heard the word “zero” being announced as the last boy took his seat around a dozen rows to his left, with a flash of white. 

“So.” The man clapped his hands, asking the room for its attention. “The reaping’s done, so just follow three rules, and you won't be sent to the dungeon… alright. ONE, You must have the number of children written on your card. You get a month to create the firstborn, and you’ve got to create the next born within two months after the first birthing.” Talk about a rush. “Tests will be held at the end of each month. TWO, You mustn’t ever even think about leaving each other. If it’s unavoidable, we’ll take care of it, but trust me, you don’t want to.” The caretaker took a breath, eyes falling down to look at the tablet he was reading off of. “THREE, the most important of all. You must NEVER make any kind of contact with anyone but your partner, or family members without a partner. The moment you’re caught with even the smallest of touches, you’ll be sent straight. down. there.” He made thumbs down, thrusting it down with each syllable.

“Now, may God’s blessing be with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow when I first uploaded stuff I thought I would get like 5 hits but over 50 people have read it!!!!! Thank you so much <3<3<3


	4. A Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and happy new year!
> 
> I hope you know that you are as lovely as ever, and deserve to be happy as everyone else<3
> 
> Have a good day!

Dan had never felt so low in his life. He had always thought that he would just get over it, and he would just live his life like anyone else. But hearing his name called, hearing the dreadful number come out of the caretaker’s mouth had made him realize how un-okay he really was. If you get a zero, like half of the population, you got the privilege to stay with your family until you were the age of twenty, getting the time to get to know your partner. But if you were cursed with a number… you only got a month to know each other too well. And Dan, well, he had gotten a five. A five, the most unlikely to get, there being only one in the whole bowl. It was required for there to be at least one family with a five, those five children being “the ones” for the town. They were born with “rights”, or as Dan saw it, a fate to be used as slaves for the government. It was said that family’s with a five would go mad, the wife physically damaged, and both partners mentally damaged. They had to raise their children for the purpose of another person, dedicate all of their lives for the sole purpose of showing off to others what could be done to them if they misbehaved.

He let his eyes focus as Daisy walked up to him, a forced smile plastered on her face.

“So, um, hey, Dan…” Thank god, she was just as nervous as he was. “My parents said they’d like to meet you… And, well, we’ll be spending a lot of time together, and, well, they were saying you could just, uh, move in?” 

She finished her sentence more like a question, searching Dan’s face for approval.

“They say that… a month is less time than you think, and well, they say you should… get it over with. You know?”

She finished her sentence with a whisper, fear apparent in her voice. And to answer her question, no, he didn’t know, didn’t want to know about this fucked up world. He settled with half a smile, muttering a “yeah, that’d be nice” as he walked away, clearly ending the conversation.

Dan just wanted to go home. He just wanted to curl up in his blanket and stay in its warm barrier forever. Maybe if he forced the world out, the world would forget he was there. Forget he existed. Before he knew it, a tear was escaping his eye, and once it started, it wasn’t stopping at all. He wrapped his arms around himself, letting his body sink down in a crouching position as the tears came and came, soaking his arms, but he couldn’t care less. Everyone else had left, and he was left in the hall all by himself, engulfed in misery. 

“Hey.”

He heard a small voice from behind him, but he didn’t give a care to it as he continued to cry. He didn’t need anyone’s sympathy. 

“I’m, uh, I just wanted to say I’m sorry, for, getting your card. I just feel bad, and well, if anyone deserved it, it was probably me.”

The person let out a shaky laugh as Dan continued to ignore him, and the stranger shuffled his feet as he continued.

“I, just, well, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine… but, I am definitely not going to leave you here like this.”

 

Dan lifted his head up a little, taking in the sight of white shoes. The person was clearly not giving up, and Dan knew he had to leave here someday. He slowly got up, brushed off his knees, then looked up, and nearly choked on his own breath. The person standing before him was the blue-eyed boy from earlier. Dan was suddenly aware of how messed up he looked, with puffy eyes and a soaked t-shirt. He managed to get out an incoherent “sorry”, and the boy actually laughed.

“Hey, there’s nothing to be sorry about. You probably had the worst day of the worst of days.”

Dan’s mind was currently whirring a mile per second, and all the boy was saying was going straight out of his ear. He looked curiously into the stranger’s eyes, he knew they were blue, but up close, Dan couldn’t put into words how beautiful they were. There were green and yellow flecks that show through, making Dan feel like he was falling straight down into them, being sucked into another universe. 

He realized he was staring, a little too late, as the boy had a slight blush creeping up his neck. He gave a shy smile as he stepped toward the door, looking back at Dan with those beautiful eyes.

“You’ve had a rough day. How about I walk you home?”

Dan gave a silent agreement as he stepped forward, and together, they stepped out into the afternoon light.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you soooooo much for reading! Comments would mean the world to me. If you loved it, please comment! If you hated it, please tell me did what I did wrong! This is my very first fic, so I'd really like to know what people think ^_^
> 
> I'll probably upload about once a week, probably on the weekends.  
> Twitter: @eevee_meimei


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